Leonardo da Vinci, Action Hero?

Watch Jason Statham as he dodges bullets while painting the Mona Lisa.

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When you think of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the most famous artists in history, what comes to mind? We’re guessing something along the lines of Italy, the Mona Lisa or the Renaissance, right?

Well, if Universal Pictures has any say in it, your idea of the painter could soon be changing. It seems the studio is working on an action-adventure movie based on the young life of one Leonardo da Vinci.

The project is based on a script by children’s TV writer Jonny Kurzman and will be helmed by producer Lawrence Gordon of Die Hard fame. While details are slim, Variety reports that the plot revolves around “da Vinci’s quest to stop Renaissance Europe from returning to the Dark Ages.” Hmm.

For some reason, NewsFeed is still having trouble picturing explosions, chase-scenes and other action-y type stuff in relation to da Vinci’s life story. Then again, maybe the project just needs a Jason Statham or a Bruce Willis type to star in order to convince us it’s worthy of the Action Movie title.

MORE: The Renaissance’s Big Men On Canvas